What do you think?
Pieces of White Shell
This unusual book is an introduction to Navajo culture by a storyteller. Steeped in the lore of the Navajo reservation, where she worked as a teacher, the author came to see Navajo legend and ritual as touchstones for evaluating her own experience. She presents them here as a means for all people to locate their own history, traditions, and sense of how to live well.
"To know the oral tradition of Native American people is to feel the sensitivity and sensuality of language in its clearest motion and light, and this Williams has achieved in her appreciation of that tradition."--Simon Ortiz
" Pieces of White Shell is vibrant--full of risk, gentleness, wonder, and humility."--Barry Lopez
"This book is both informative and enormously evocative. Exposition and description are powerfully reinforced by recurrent passages in the mode of poetry and drama."--Brewster Ghiselin
"To know the oral tradition of Native American people is to feel the sensitivity and sensuality of language in its clearest motion and light, and this Williams has achieved in her appreciation of that tradition."--Simon Ortiz
" Pieces of White Shell is vibrant--full of risk, gentleness, wonder, and humility."--Barry Lopez
"This book is both informative and enormously evocative. Exposition and description are powerfully reinforced by recurrent passages in the mode of poetry and drama."--Brewster Ghiselin
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
Terry Tempest Williams
88 books1,612 followersTerry Tempest Williams is an American author, conservationist and activist. Williams’ writing is rooted in the American West and has been significantly influenced by the arid landscape of her native Utah in which she was raised. Her work ranges from issues of ecology and wilderness preservation, to women's health, to exploring our relationship to culture and nature.
She has testified before Congress on women’s health, committed acts of civil disobedience in the years 1987 - 1992 in protest against nuclear testing in the Nevada Desert, and again, in March, 2003 in Washington, D.C., with Code Pink, against the Iraq War. She has been a guest at the White House, has camped in the remote regions of the Utah and Alaska wildernesses and worked as "a barefoot artist" in Rwanda.
Williams is the author of Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place; An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field; Desert Quartet; Leap; Red: Patience and Passion in the Desert; and The Open Space of Democracy. Her book Finding Beauty in a Broken World was published in 2008 by Pantheon Books.
In 2006, Williams received the Robert Marshall Award from The Wilderness Society, their highest honor given to an American citizen. She also received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Western American Literature Association and the Wallace Stegner Award given by The Center for the American West. She is the recipient of a Lannan Literary Award for Nonfictionand a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in creative nonfiction. Williams was featured in Ken Burns' PBS series The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009). In 2011, she received the 18th International Peace Award given by the Community of Christ Church.
Williams is currently the Annie Clark Tanner Scholar in Environmental Humanities at the University of Utah and a columnist for the magazine The Progressive. She has been a Montgomery Fellow at Dartmouth College where she continues to teach. She divides her time between Wilson, Wyoming and Castle Valley, Utah, where her husband Brooke is field coordinator for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
She has testified before Congress on women’s health, committed acts of civil disobedience in the years 1987 - 1992 in protest against nuclear testing in the Nevada Desert, and again, in March, 2003 in Washington, D.C., with Code Pink, against the Iraq War. She has been a guest at the White House, has camped in the remote regions of the Utah and Alaska wildernesses and worked as "a barefoot artist" in Rwanda.
Williams is the author of Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place; An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field; Desert Quartet; Leap; Red: Patience and Passion in the Desert; and The Open Space of Democracy. Her book Finding Beauty in a Broken World was published in 2008 by Pantheon Books.
In 2006, Williams received the Robert Marshall Award from The Wilderness Society, their highest honor given to an American citizen. She also received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Western American Literature Association and the Wallace Stegner Award given by The Center for the American West. She is the recipient of a Lannan Literary Award for Nonfictionand a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in creative nonfiction. Williams was featured in Ken Burns' PBS series The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009). In 2011, she received the 18th International Peace Award given by the Community of Christ Church.
Williams is currently the Annie Clark Tanner Scholar in Environmental Humanities at the University of Utah and a columnist for the magazine The Progressive. She has been a Montgomery Fellow at Dartmouth College where she continues to teach. She divides her time between Wilson, Wyoming and Castle Valley, Utah, where her husband Brooke is field coordinator for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 10, 2020
I read this getting ready for a trip to the Southwest.
June 12, 2017
I'm from Moab, Utah and my book club decided on this book and also Open Midnight by her husband Brooke Williams. I found the book very interesting. I thought I wouldn't like the context in regards to when Terry Tempest discusses Mormonism and Native American culture because of the contrasting nature of the two. I was thinking how in the world could one have anything to do with the other. How could someone be both! I guess even though they don't have much in common that doesn't detract from the fact a person can be made up of contrasting pieces. Why not?
I enjoyed the stories of the Native Americans and found myself wondering how across the board accurate were they? Do all Native Americans for the most part understand these basics and tales? I considered asking my ex mother in law who is a full blooded traditional Native American that lives on the reservation if she knew of any of these tales..... but I have yet to do so. I wanted to ask her if she has heard of monster slayer.
I thought the love and respect that Terry showed through her novel for the children and the Native Culture, which she is so obviously very fond of, was enduring.
I liked the references that nature is female, hence Mother Nature and I agree hole heartedly.
Often times reading this story I got the impression that the Native Culture or at least how it's explained in the book is that they are a people of very superstitious beliefs.
I liked when the man was discussing the city and the infrastructure of a new building and the Native man responds how many sheep can it hold? The comment is valuable to me because it reminds me of this materialistic world we live in and when we have more "things" a.k.a junk in our lives it's not happiness, it's honestly exhausting.
I thought it might be awkward to read a novel on Native American Culture from the Perspective of a white woman but it wasn't in the least I found Terry Tempest to be genuine.
I do feel a certain feeling when calm and at peace with nature and I feel something special that cannot be described.
I liked when she asked her Native brother was he offended when the use of his Culture and stories were shared in order to preserve sacred lands by a white women or something along those lines, as I do not have the book in front of me. I remember the section from my memory and I liked that his reply was no that's what's it's intended to do.
I enjoyed the stories of the Native Americans and found myself wondering how across the board accurate were they? Do all Native Americans for the most part understand these basics and tales? I considered asking my ex mother in law who is a full blooded traditional Native American that lives on the reservation if she knew of any of these tales..... but I have yet to do so. I wanted to ask her if she has heard of monster slayer.
I thought the love and respect that Terry showed through her novel for the children and the Native Culture, which she is so obviously very fond of, was enduring.
I liked the references that nature is female, hence Mother Nature and I agree hole heartedly.
Often times reading this story I got the impression that the Native Culture or at least how it's explained in the book is that they are a people of very superstitious beliefs.
I liked when the man was discussing the city and the infrastructure of a new building and the Native man responds how many sheep can it hold? The comment is valuable to me because it reminds me of this materialistic world we live in and when we have more "things" a.k.a junk in our lives it's not happiness, it's honestly exhausting.
I thought it might be awkward to read a novel on Native American Culture from the Perspective of a white woman but it wasn't in the least I found Terry Tempest to be genuine.
I do feel a certain feeling when calm and at peace with nature and I feel something special that cannot be described.
I liked when she asked her Native brother was he offended when the use of his Culture and stories were shared in order to preserve sacred lands by a white women or something along those lines, as I do not have the book in front of me. I remember the section from my memory and I liked that his reply was no that's what's it's intended to do.
April 21, 2020
Terry Tempest Williams is, if nothing else, an excellent story teller. Her prose and poetic language are thick with captivating imagery. That said, her attempt to invite the reader into her imaginative language can leave one feeling a bit wrung out.
The books follows a series of essays, each titled around a physical object that Williams uses to spark her imagination regarding the Navajo culture and her personal experience within it. Some of these essays are rich and exciting to read, filled with imagery that captivates. Others feel disjointed and difficult to read, with the narrative she paints never quite connecting back to her imagery.
Overall, it is an engaging read. I would personally recommend some of her other books (Refuge is a personal favorite). And, if you are looking for a real insight into Navajo culutre, read literature written by Navajo authors!
The books follows a series of essays, each titled around a physical object that Williams uses to spark her imagination regarding the Navajo culture and her personal experience within it. Some of these essays are rich and exciting to read, filled with imagery that captivates. Others feel disjointed and difficult to read, with the narrative she paints never quite connecting back to her imagery.
Overall, it is an engaging read. I would personally recommend some of her other books (Refuge is a personal favorite). And, if you are looking for a real insight into Navajo culutre, read literature written by Navajo authors!
January 1, 2012
Insightful look at the Diné culture from an outsider's perspective. However, this read more as "Diné Culture 101" than a series of personal essays. I would have liked to have read more on how she personally related to and was impacted by living and working on the reservation.
April 22, 2021
Not as inspiring as Refuge, but still so so so lovely
January 23, 2026
I came across this book in a beutiful Navajo store in Utah, near the 4-state point, during a journey through America. Its size, paper and illustrations caught my eye and I decided to take it home.
I have been slowly reading it, and finally got to finish it. As someone from far away and knowing almost nothing about the Native American and Navajo culture (except for the things I learnt along the way during this trip) this book was true to its name, A Journey to Navajoland.
Going through the pages, I sometimes felt like being back to Utah and Arizona, in the canyons and the vast lands filled with mesas and monuments. The author uses various pieces she has collected through her experiences (such as leaves, bones, stones, etc.) and shares a story related to each artifact. Through the stories we get a small piece of Navajo history and culture.
Sometimes, I did feel lost, as some parts of the book refer to actual real-life events, and others are metaphors and storytelling scenes. One small thing that I did miss was some in-text marking in certain spots to guide me to the "Notes" part at the end of the book. I only realized in the end that such a chapter exists, and it would be nice to know to check the note at the corresponding in-text moment.
Other than that, it was a beautiful and meaningful read, thought-provoking, with universal messages from the Navajo that can be applied to people from all walks of life.
I have been slowly reading it, and finally got to finish it. As someone from far away and knowing almost nothing about the Native American and Navajo culture (except for the things I learnt along the way during this trip) this book was true to its name, A Journey to Navajoland.
Going through the pages, I sometimes felt like being back to Utah and Arizona, in the canyons and the vast lands filled with mesas and monuments. The author uses various pieces she has collected through her experiences (such as leaves, bones, stones, etc.) and shares a story related to each artifact. Through the stories we get a small piece of Navajo history and culture.
Sometimes, I did feel lost, as some parts of the book refer to actual real-life events, and others are metaphors and storytelling scenes. One small thing that I did miss was some in-text marking in certain spots to guide me to the "Notes" part at the end of the book. I only realized in the end that such a chapter exists, and it would be nice to know to check the note at the corresponding in-text moment.
Other than that, it was a beautiful and meaningful read, thought-provoking, with universal messages from the Navajo that can be applied to people from all walks of life.
October 11, 2019
Terry Tempest Williams' writing can sometimes be so clear and accessible, but at other times, it can be so hard to fully understand it. This is one of the hard books. She begins each of her essays with a different artifact that she has found in Navajoland. She talks of the artifacts, how they relate to the Navajo, and different legends surrounding these artifacts. I had hoped that I would get a clear picture of the people and place, but her concentration on these small artifacts and somewhat complicated legends left me feeling confused.
May 29, 2019
“We are not Navajo, however; we are not Inuit people or Sioux. We are contemporary citizens living in a technological world. Swimming in cross-cultural waters can be dangerous, and if you are honest you can’t stay there very long. Sooner or later you have to look at your own reflection and decide what to do with yourself.”
Insightful and moving reflections on Navajo culture and people- worth reading.
Insightful and moving reflections on Navajo culture and people- worth reading.
April 8, 2024
Not my favorite of her work, but glad for the reading of the stories she captures.
"But there are major differences, primarily in the stories we tell and the way in which we walk upon the earth. It is here that I am most aware of leaving my own culture and entering another. I take off my shoes and walk barefoot.
There are risks, I know. My feet have been cut many times, but I am learning to pay attention."
"But there are major differences, primarily in the stories we tell and the way in which we walk upon the earth. It is here that I am most aware of leaving my own culture and entering another. I take off my shoes and walk barefoot.
There are risks, I know. My feet have been cut many times, but I am learning to pay attention."
August 25, 2024
Williams first book, and not as polished as she became, but the basics are here - appreciation of environment, nature, stories, myths, place. These essays concentrate on Navajo land, the Dine', and their relationship to the land they reside on. Moments stuck out, like a piece of pottery shard lying on the desert floor.
April 17, 2026
The author combines her own experience of teaching on the Navajo reservation with the origin stories told by the Navajo. We journey with her to the Four Corners area where seemingly unimportant finds gain mystical significance in the telling of their stories. Reading this book tends to slow down your mind and your heart as you traverse the canyons, mountains, and plains of Navajoland.
July 7, 2018
This book is now one of my favorites of all books by Terry Tempest Williams, along with Refuge and When Women Were Birds. What I love about this book: the sparse yet generous prose juxtaposed with gorgeous line drawings.
September 2, 2025
a beautiful book filled with beautiful and world livening stories, especially the ones told by children. the writing style is so unique that I can only describe it with an apparent contradiction: straightforwardly poetic
Read
January 21, 2022Good in spots.
May 27, 2025
The author tries to translate Navajo rituals and lore in this small illustrated book.
February 25, 2026
Written by a woke white lady in the 80s I guess, but can’t argue with
“No one culture has dominion over birdsong. We all share the same sky.”
“No one culture has dominion over birdsong. We all share the same sky.”
October 3, 2013
Terry Tempest Williams is a fierce environmentalist and is doing her best to educate readers about the connection between the people, the animals and the land. Pieces of a White Shell delves into Terry's life as a teacher on the Navajo reservation in Utah and makes connections between Navajo culture, legend and history and Terry's own life and spiritual culture as a Mormon.
"I offer you a sampling of the Navajo voice, of my own voice and the voice of the land that moves us. We are told a story and then we tell our own. Each of us harbors a homeland. The stories that are rooted there push themselves up like native grasses and crack the sidewalk." pg. 8
Pieces of a White Shell begins with Terry working as a collector as she shakes her pouch open on her desk, she wonders what stories the items she has collected tell. Each item she collected is the name of the chapter and shapes the stories you find there. Rocks, Sands, Seed, Turquoise, Obsidian, Coral, Pieces of a White Shell, Yucca, Feathers, Coyote Fue, Bone, Deerskin, Wool, the Storyteller and Corn Pollen.
"To tell a story you must travel inward." pg. 129
Beautiful artwork accompanies and illustrates one aspect of each chapter. There are 13 stories or essays that meld together, told with simplicity and spirituality. Pieces of White Shell is a testament to the beauty and harmony of the land. It is full of the old, oral tradition stories of the Navajo people. If you love story and if you love mother earth, you will love this book.
What items do you find in nature and save in a special place? What stories do they tell?
I collect the feathers in found in my yard and the deer antlers left in spring. I hold rocks in my pockets and gaze at the them as the reside on my dresser. We are all collectors of nature and stories.
"I offer you a sampling of the Navajo voice, of my own voice and the voice of the land that moves us. We are told a story and then we tell our own. Each of us harbors a homeland. The stories that are rooted there push themselves up like native grasses and crack the sidewalk." pg. 8
Pieces of a White Shell begins with Terry working as a collector as she shakes her pouch open on her desk, she wonders what stories the items she has collected tell. Each item she collected is the name of the chapter and shapes the stories you find there. Rocks, Sands, Seed, Turquoise, Obsidian, Coral, Pieces of a White Shell, Yucca, Feathers, Coyote Fue, Bone, Deerskin, Wool, the Storyteller and Corn Pollen.
"To tell a story you must travel inward." pg. 129
Beautiful artwork accompanies and illustrates one aspect of each chapter. There are 13 stories or essays that meld together, told with simplicity and spirituality. Pieces of White Shell is a testament to the beauty and harmony of the land. It is full of the old, oral tradition stories of the Navajo people. If you love story and if you love mother earth, you will love this book.
What items do you find in nature and save in a special place? What stories do they tell?
I collect the feathers in found in my yard and the deer antlers left in spring. I hold rocks in my pockets and gaze at the them as the reside on my dresser. We are all collectors of nature and stories.
January 30, 2012
While I liked this book, I'll be honest that I might not have read it if it wasn't a school read.
When it comes to immersing herself into the Navajo culture, Williams does an excellent job and at times it's very hard to remember that she's a white Mormon woman rather than someone who was born and raised Navajo. I'm sure that people more familiar with the Navajo culture could see where she's not born as such, but for the average Jane looking in...
The only problem I really had with this book was that I was hoping to see more parallels and contrasts between Williams' Mormon upbringing and the Navajo life. We do see her comment on this briefly at times, but the book predominantly focuses on the Navajo culture and I just felt that this kept the book from having that little extra oomph to really sparkle for me.
Even minus that extra detail, Williams has a very fluid way of writing that makes it easy to get drawn into the book. It probably won't ever be a book that most people will pluck off the shelves at their local bookstores and read like some of the other non-fiction books out there, but it is something that I think all students of religion, culture, and anthropology should read.
When it comes to immersing herself into the Navajo culture, Williams does an excellent job and at times it's very hard to remember that she's a white Mormon woman rather than someone who was born and raised Navajo. I'm sure that people more familiar with the Navajo culture could see where she's not born as such, but for the average Jane looking in...
The only problem I really had with this book was that I was hoping to see more parallels and contrasts between Williams' Mormon upbringing and the Navajo life. We do see her comment on this briefly at times, but the book predominantly focuses on the Navajo culture and I just felt that this kept the book from having that little extra oomph to really sparkle for me.
Even minus that extra detail, Williams has a very fluid way of writing that makes it easy to get drawn into the book. It probably won't ever be a book that most people will pluck off the shelves at their local bookstores and read like some of the other non-fiction books out there, but it is something that I think all students of religion, culture, and anthropology should read.
June 10, 2015
Wonderfully beautiful. Vignettes like artifacts like spirits. This book is a votive shrine.
"I remember standing in front of a Fremont bracelet. It was a circle of prairie falcon talons laced together with rawhide. There was an aura I cannot explain. I wondered about the individual who had worn it, for what occasion it had been made. For a brief moment, I entered sacred time. Perhaps this is the performance of an artifact.
Sacred time. We cannot always live there. But if we know it exists, we can begin to experience the soul of the land. From here stories will spill forth."
"I remember standing in front of a Fremont bracelet. It was a circle of prairie falcon talons laced together with rawhide. There was an aura I cannot explain. I wondered about the individual who had worn it, for what occasion it had been made. For a brief moment, I entered sacred time. Perhaps this is the performance of an artifact.
Sacred time. We cannot always live there. But if we know it exists, we can begin to experience the soul of the land. From here stories will spill forth."
December 24, 2010
The first time I read this, 20 some years ago, I hadn't had time nor opportunity to get the feel of the land and people in SE Utah, as I was so busy being a mom. Now with many decades of life experiences among the Navajo and reservation, I found I could finally identify with her experiences and enjoy this book. So many of the places I've been to now. It makes a difference. Terry is a wonderful reader and story teller. Stories from this book are included in an audio version.
November 27, 2016
Meeting author, Terry Tempest Williams, in Seattle and again in Spokane, WA a few years ago influences my reading of her work in a positive way. She is sincere, charming and willing to travel just about anywhere on behalf of educating children about the natural world. She is also a great story teller.
May 26, 2006
Explores the experiences of the author teaching on the Navajo reservation. Describes how her growing appreciation for the culture of the Native American people helped her understand her own heritage and people.
July 10, 2011
In this book, Terry Tempest Williams uses the essay form to weave Native American stories, flora and fauna of the southwest with her sense of spirituality. In doing so, she gently nudges the reader to consider their own stories. As always, Williams' essays are a joy to read.
Read
February 8, 2016This was an interesting memoir. The author's descriptions of her home and life teaching were interesting and vivid. I loved her stories and the way she blended the myths with real life. This was an interesting read and I enjoyed it very much.
March 27, 2008
Along with Refuge, this was my first introduction to Terry Tempest Williams. I absolutely flipped over her writing style and her love of the desert Southwest. I've been a huge fan ever since.
June 12, 2008
Wonderful navajo stories all woven around items in a small pouch worn around one's neck....food for thought!
September 3, 2008
An exquisite piece of writing about one of my favorite places on the planet: Canyon de Chelley in northern Arizona. Lovely.
February 9, 2009
I always wanted more from her in terms of scientific fact or explanations and a little less on the prose. But that's just me I suppose.
January 29, 2012
This was an interesting book in regards to learning the Navajo Culture. I wouldn't have particularly chosen to read it on my own, but overall, not a bad read.
October 11, 2012
Interesting read on American Indian folklore and beliefs.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews